


Christmas Touches

by GlynnisIsta8



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: 2018 Shieldshock Christmas Fic Exchange, Christmas, Christmas Carols, Christmas Cookies, F/M, Fluff, For WintersFangirl, Kittens, Mutual Pining, cocoa, i know nothing about baking and am sure it shows tho I did a brief google search, one snowdrift mentioned, train under the tree cuz it's picturesque, warm socks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 08:33:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17280662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlynnisIsta8/pseuds/GlynnisIsta8
Summary: Darcy has baker's magic, but NO artistic ability.  Her cookies need an artist's touch.  Natasha ropes Steve into helping.  Mutual pining turns to Christmas magic.





	Christmas Touches

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WintersFangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WintersFangirl/gifts).



> ShieldShock Christmas Touches Image set also on Tumblr @glynnisi

 “You need Steve.” Natasha poked at the ‘iced’ cookies with a delicate motion, seeming afraid of breaking the poor things.

Darcy whined, “to Avenge these cookies or to defeat them in battle?”  Darcy poked one lop-sided gingerbread man.  “This one’s not too terrible.”  A leg cracked and crumbled through the cooling rack.  “Aww, cookie!” A blob of icing fell after it.

Natasha laughed, “one out of how many?”

Heavenly aroma hung heavy in the festive cabin and the cookies were scrumptious. But, they looked awful.  Sad. A **FAIL** if Darcy had ever seen one. For the life of her, she wasn’t sure why she kept trying after the first… or the tenth… or the thirtieth.

Jane, with her precise and delicate hand, had always prettied up Darcy’s delicious treats.  Jane was in Norway over Christmas this year though.  Darcy was on her own. And lacking in artistic talent.  “I rushed this batch to test the flavor and try my hand at icing. I deserve the shape disaster.  I have several chilled that will take cutting better and a bunch I made yesterday that’ll be 24 hours cooled soon.  I can stick the next batch out in the snow. That will fix the blobbiness for those that need frosting and icing tomorrow.  But, applying the icing?”  Darcy pouted in an exaggerated manner as she began mixing new cookie batter.

Natasha looked like the cat who’d eaten the cream.  “You need an artist’s touch. Steve is an _artist_.”

Darcy tried to ignore both Natasha’s suggestive glee and the butterfly-swarm in her stomach when she thought of Steve Rogers. And his touch. Darcy had met Steve months prior, when she moved to the Upstate base. And gone crazy over him less than five minutes later. Not only was he handsome, but he was kind and had a snarky sense of humor.  Miles out of her league, so she thought. She tried to keep her hopeless obsession for him private. Darcy shook her head.  “I’m sure he’s too busy doing good deeds to save my cookies.”  She wrinkled her nose.  "I guess I can leave them plain looking.”  She pouted more at the thought.  Her cookies tasted AMAZING and deserved to look it. 

She texted to Jane, ‘my ugly cookies miss u!’

Jane replied with laughing emoji. Darcy pouted more.

“Darcy needs your help.”  The redhead ignored Darcy’s glare while cajoling the person on the other end of the phone line.  “Relax! She’s fine.  Not that kind of help. She just… Well… She’s got baker’s magic to spare, but she needs an artist’s touch. _Yours_.”  Natasha stifled a laugh.  “Come on! Come to her cabin. Hurry.  She’s listening to me ask you to help her. Hearing that you don’t seem to want to.  Come now unless you want to hurt her feelings. Or, if you’d rather, I can explain in painstaking detail how very, very much you’d like to, but…” Natasha laughed again.

“Yikes!” Darcy fussed after Natasha ended the call.  “Now I feel like a pity case. Ugh.”  The air went out of Darcy as Natasha put boots on.  “Where do you think you’re going, Nat?”  Darcy tried not to panic.  She’d never been alone with Steve and was thrown off balance at the prospect. There was safety in numbers.  She could pretend she just saw him as a friend, like he seemed to view her. Steve’s perfection was difficult enough to withstand while in a crowd. Just the two of them? What if she lost all power of speech and drooled stupidly over him? What if she babbled like a love-struck lunatic? She would babble if they were alone, to be sure. What if she blurted out her feelings and he rejected her? What if she pinched his perfect tush by accident? What if she repelled him so much that he ran out and got lost in a treacherous snow drift (extra-tragic, given his history)?  What if…?

Darcy had no more time to create scenarios in her head.  Steve’s crisp knock sounded at the door and Natasha finished putting her coat on as she answered it. “Took you long enough!” Steve rolled his eyes and then took in Natasha’s state of dress, realizing that she was leaving.  He stood still in the open doorway, one broad shoulder brushing against the wreath's blue and gold bow.  He didn’t speak, but looked at Natasha with odd intensity. Small snowflakes blew in around him, along with the cold wind. Natasha pushed past Steve and waved goodbye, “pretty snow!  A white Christmas! _I’m dreamin’ of…_ ”  She hummed the popular song as she walked past Darcy’s light-bedecked outside tree, its colors softened by downy snow on the branches.

Darcy’s brow furrowed.  Steve hadn’t taken long at all. In fact, he’d reached her cabin at the outside edge of the Upstate Base- far from his quarters in the main building- in a ridiculously short time. She blurted, “you ran?”

“I… wasn’t sure what Natasha might say or do next."  He kicked snow off his boot.  "And if you need help, I want to give it. I wouldn’t want to hurt your feelings.” Steve’s ears went pink. 

“You’re a good friend.”  Darcy managed to keep a neutral expression, regardless of how much making that observation hurt.

He frowned and gently closed the door behind him.  “Sorry for letting the cold in.”  Steve hung his leather jacket on a hook by the door and turned to look at Darcy. He swallowed hard as he took in the decorated cabin and its owner.

It seemed too quiet to Darcy. But not cold. Not with Steve standing there looking delicious.

Darcy couldn’t manage much more than a weak smile when Steve looked at her the way he did then.  There was an earnest intensity to him that she didn’t know how to handle. So, she shifted her attention and energies elsewhere.  

Like many times before, she misunderstood his silence and did not see the longing in his eyes.  Almost as many times as he’d missed similar indications of her feelings.

Darcy checked the dough in three different mixing bowls and covered them with wax paper banded around the edges.  She didn’t meet Steve’s gaze then, but gestured, “take one, please.  I need to put them outside to cool since I’m out of room in the fridge.  I was distracted earlier and didn’t chill the dough for the disaster batch.  That batch is more blob than ornament, can’t disagree on that.”  She lightly bumped the Christmas tree as she handed a bowl to Steve. Her wind chime ornament rang from the motion.  Sandwiched between the train and the tree stand- Darcy’s kittens stretched and yawned, then returned to their nap.

Steve took the dough and opened the door.  Then, he stepped out and put his bowl on the picnic table outside the door and reached back for both of Darcy’s to set them there, too.  Once back inside, he toed off his wet boots by the blue ‘ _Merry Christmahanakwanzika_ ’ mat and stepped into the kitchen area, breathing in deeply.  “It smells fantastic in here!” His gaze moved past the gorgeous tree and the antique train running around the kittens underneath it. He lingered on the fun Nativity scene featuring mismatched Nutcracker kings as the Wise Men and Eeyore the donkey as a stable inhabitant. He soaked in the golden twinkling lights that gave the entire cabin a warm and wondrous glow.

He stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened as he saw the results of Darcy’s childish icing work – her baking FAIL.  It was a struggle.  A mighty one. He tried.  He really tried.  But laughter won out.  He nearly doubled over with it.

“Well!”  Darcy tried to pretend indignation, but couldn’t be mad.  The cookies were as ugly as could be.  More, though, she’d never heard Steve laugh before.  He lit up with it in a way that did swoopy things to her heart. Her thirst to hear him laugh again deepened.

Steve held up a hand as he tried to regain control. He finally gathered enough air to offer a feeble, “sorry. Everything else is so perfect, but _those_ …”  He choked on another laugh and kept smiling.

Darcy rolled her eyes at him and muttered, “too-cute troll,” as she turned on her heel in a flouncy manner.  She checked her watch and made some cocoa for both of them and gestured towards the chairs and sofa.  “Almost time. Now, we wait.  Then, we see if you’re good enough to get away with laughing at my disaster that much.”  She winked at him to soften her words. 

His grin was still warm with laughter. “Sorry. It surprised me.  They smell so much better than they look.”  Steve’s lips twitched with more laughter as he surveyed the damage she’d done more closely.  “Can I try one?”  He sniffed the air appreciatively.

Darcy made a show of considering the idea, nodded, and waited.  She wasn’t disappointed by his reaction.

“Oh, my God!  These are the best-tasting cookies ever!” Steve’s startling blue eyes lit up with wonder. He snatched a second cookie.

“Natasha told you I had baker’s magic.” Darcy failed to suppress her smugness.  Her feelings were mollified as Steve devoured three more cookies in quick succession. He even let out a moan that she filed away under ‘things to remember forever’.  She handed him a mug of cocoa.

He moved to sit on the couch at the same time that Darcy did and almost choked on a bite of cookie. “Sorry. Go ahead. I can sit in a chair.” Awkwardness bled from him. 

Darcy had yet to discern the cause of his perpetual stiffness around her. Steve Rogers wasn't easy with people, but seemed even less at ease with her than anyone else in the few months she'd known and secretly-crushed on him.

She shook her head and suppressed jitters.  “Nah.  Plenty of room. Couch is more comfortable and has the best view of the fire.  Between chilling and bake time and cool time, you may as well get comfy.”  He did as she said. She smiled fondly at the NORAD Santa tracker image on her phone. Next, she turned on a Christmas play list, setting the volume on her Blu tooth speaker to a reasonable level. Darcy sat back and let a sweet melody wash over her.  She tried, and failed, not to focus too much on the man sitting by her. His thigh was close, warm, and ridiculously firm. Distracting.  As another song came on, she whispered, “sorry to waste your time.  You probably have better things to do tonight. A guy like you _must_.”  She braced herself for his reply, for him to put distance between them.

“I don’t.”  Steve rubbed at his chin as he forced himself to stop staring at her.  “Seems like everyone else has grand plans.  But I don’t.  This is much nicer than reading alone in my room.”  He sipped his cocoa and settled more in his seat. “Much nicer.”  With a determined jut of his chin, he turned his gaze to the fire.  The wood piled there shifted over embers, settling and burning brighter.

Darcy propped her sock-clad feet up on the coffee table and smiled to herself when Steve mimicked the motion.  The fire crackled and hissed.  ‘Silent Night’ came on and she felt herself relax. “This is my favorite.”  She willed herself not to over-react when Steve laid his arm along the back of the sofa. She could sense how close his arm was to her shoulders. She longed to curl against him. Cuddle and cuddle more. Kiss. Touch. Cuddle more.  Darcy sighed as the next verse began. Nervous of Steve, she chatted to fill the space between them.  “When I was a kid, there was a special service the week of Christmas. Always spent Christmas with Dad- unless Hanukkah fell that week and Gran Esther had me with her, which wasn’t bad- no, that was always good stuff, too.  But the service! It was candlelit. The main lessons and best hymns.  At the end, we’d go outside with our candles and stand around the lawn of the church circle drive to sing carols and end with 'Silent Night'.  It was the best. Just being there with my dad and brother was…”  She shook her head as a lump came to her throat at the sweet memories.

“Sounds great. Ma liked ‘What Child is This?’ best.  I remember holding onto her hand whenever I hear it. So strong for a small lady.” Steve sipped his cocoa again, finishing it as he stared thoughtfully into the flickering firelight and let his fingers touch Darcy’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort. He wished it were his place to pull her close in his arms. If he was honest with himself, that was his most fervent wish.

Darcy poked at her phone and let his mom’s favorite carol play next.  As she saw Steve swipe at his eyes with the back of one hand, she nudged her shoulder against his other hand.

Steve turned the sweetest of smiles her way. Darcy’s breath caught.  Then a timer went off and they both jolted in response. Darcy teased breathlessly, “time to prove your worth, artistic one.”  She jumped up and went to get cookies that had been cooling for the past 24 hours.  Her thick socks caused her to slip a bit as she rushed.  Steve followed and caught her by the elbow to steady her. Darcy murmured, "thanks."

Settling in on a stool at the counter, Darcy watched Steve study the icing options and piping tools.  He evaluated the thickness of the icing carefully and then rolled up his sweater sleeves.  Darcy frowned.  It was utterly unfair that masculine forearms could get her so hot and bothered, but true. Especially his.  She caught herself falling into naughty fantasies until Steve paused in his work to stare at her when she emitted a longing sigh.  Darcy tried to cover her embarrassment by sipping the last of her cocoa. Steve began decorating in earnest and all other concerns melted away as they both became entranced by his work.  Darcy leaned in to see better, watching the delicate swirls and intricate dots adorning the cookies.  “Wow.”  She shook her head.  “That’s amazing.”  Thanks to him, her cookies looked as good as she knew they tasted!

Steve gave her a joking smile, “a little better than the others?”

“The FAIL? The pathetic trash batch that I’m about to toss into the snow? Yeah.  Better.”  Her tone was full of amazement.  “You really are an artist!”

His ears pinked and his smile to her was even sunnier.  “I’m glad you’re pleased.” His expression shifted to wheedling as he leaned closer, “but don’t throw the ugly ones out.  I’m always hungry and they’re DELICIOUS.”

“That’s your price for this artistry?  You work for cheap. I’m at least gonna throw in an offer of dinner while you’re here. It’s just shrimp chowder, but the offer stands.” Darcy leaned in to admire another masterful swirl of icing.  She texted thanks to Natasha, noting that an artist’s touch was working a Christmas miracle in her kitchen.  She ignored Natasha’s reply, suspecting it would be suggestive- something she couldn't deal with at the moment.

Steve shrugged. "No price. I'm glad to help.” He hesitated,” Like you said, it’s what friends do.” After a beat, he added, “But I’d love to have dinner with you." 

They exchanged warm, shy glances.

"It's a good thing Tony has money, else all you Avenger types would be destitute. You apparently save the world for fun-sies only." Darcy got herself some water, mostly to occupy her hands and mouth. "Except Thor, I guess.  He's not destitute. Royalty. He gives Asgardian gems and coins to people and they lose their minds."  She pointed at one such trinket she’d hung on her tree, an otherworldly and likely-priceless ornament. Once Jane had verified it safe (and NOT radioactive), Darcy counted it among her most treasured keepsakes.

Steve chuckled and raised a brow, "even when he doesn't give treasure, Thor gets lots of attention."

"Oh, I know. Selfie requests galore. You're all noticeable, though. So gorgeous." Darcy nearly choked on her water as Steve gave her a penetrating look.  She made a show of checking her watch.  "The cooling dough can come in for cutting in ten minutes, soonest." She set the water aside and took calming breaths.

"Guess I should hurry on these to make space then," Steve smiled at her again.  Darcy couldn't think when she'd seen him smile so much. He'd always seemed cautious and guarded towards her when they'd been together with the other Avengers and Avenger friends.

"Oh! Don't change anything about what you're doing. You're perfect." Darcy bit her tongue. "I mean the cookies are beautiful the way you're..." She waved one hand over the gorgeously adorned treats.  A deep blush made her feel too hot.  She tried not to squirm under his intense gaze. She didn't do very well.

He studied her for several seconds. Then, his expression shifted as he decided to take the risk.  Steve's voice was soft and inviting. "Want me to help you get better at icing?"

"Sure." Darcy didn't think she could keep a shiver out of her voice if she said more.

He half-shrugged, half-nodded for her to come closer and managed to seem calm when she did.  Darcy moved around the counter to stand next to him, aware of how he towered over her.  Steve took a sharp breath as he moved close behind her and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair.  "Take the bag, GENTLY.  You were too rough on it before."  He tried to sound playful, but the rasp in his voice spoke something else. “You don’t know your power.”

Darcy picked up the bag.  Steve's large hand closed around her small one.  She felt him tremble.  Her skin felt too tight and she felt warm all over. The hair on his forearms stood up. She heard Steve’s voice catch as he led her, "like this, Darcy."  She could hardly breathe or move.  He guided her hand in his while her thoughts raced.

He wasn’t behaving as though he only viewed her as a friend. Steve Rogers was affected by her as much as she was by him.

Darcy trusted her instincts and observation skills. They'd long served her well, both in her work with Jane and in other parts of her life. She recalled Natasha's teasing tone while on the phone with Steve and the way that Natasha had threatened to explain something to Darcy in painstaking detail.  She cautioned her hopeful heart not to beat quite so rapidly and wondered if Steve's super-soldier capabilities enabled him to hear it.

He heard it.  

He stopped talking and touched his chin to her shoulder, breath warm and tickling against her neck.

Her heart beat even faster.

"Darcy. I don’t think of you as only a friend.  I’d like for us to be something more, if you want.  If not, I’ll honor your wishes and never say another word about it." He stood still, hoping and fearing her reply.

She sighed with contentment as he whispered her name again.  “Darcy?”

Darcy murmured, "yes, please. More, I mean," and leaned back against Steve's broad chest, into his embrace. “I want more. Want you.”

They both let the bag rest on the counter as he lifted her hand to his lips for a tender kiss.  Darcy turned in his arms and stood on her tiptoes as he ducked his head so their lips could touch. They kissed, softly and with a sense of peace. It was like coming home. As they pulled away, they both smiled. Then they leaned in for another more-heated kiss, lips slotting together as they began to learn each other.  He pulled her against him again in a full-body hug, warm and affectionate.  The chemistry that neither had dared to dwell on before sparked as a fire in their blood.

“I’ve wanted to do that since I met you,” he cupped her jaw and kissed her again. And again.

She ended the kiss, kissed his cheek, murmured, “same.”  They both laughed- with relief, with self-deprecation, and with the joy of feeling wanted. As the laughter settled between them, Darcy turned to face the counter again, teasing, "now, show me how to artify these cookies. If I’m gonna date an artist, I have to improve at this." 

His chuckle rumbled against her back. "I'll try."

She giggled, "well, maybe just how to do the simplest bit of icing without a trash-worthy mess.  I don’t want it to take all night."  She gave him a sly, teasing look that hinted other ways she’d like to pass their time together.

" _That_ I can do. And quickly. Quickly is good." Again, he guided her.  His gentle touch, the care he took, and the warmth of his embrace were even better than his gorgeous work on her cookies.

Darcy realized she hadn’t stopped smiling in several minutes.

After more time laughing together, Darcy was able to edge a cookie without leaving blobs.  She cheered and Steve laughed with her.  He finished two batches while she labored through ten more cookies.  His were exquisite. With his help, hers were acceptable.

Kisses and touches tantalized them both as they worked. They laughed together and soaked in the blossoming sense of starting a new phase in their relationship.

Steve brought the mixing bowls in from the cold and they began cutting shapes for the next batches.  When those cookies went in the oven, Darcy led Steve back to the couch.  There, they kissed long and slow.  They savored the simmer.  She ran her fingers up into his hair, delighting as he made a sound that even eclipsed the moan he'd uttered on trying her cookies. He whispered, "you're making a mess of me."

Darcy ducked her head and nipped at his lower lip. "Better than wrecking cookies. I’d far prefer to wreck you. Be proud to even." He laughed and kissed her again.

\---

Christmas morning light shone in through the cabin bedroom window.

Darcy blinked awake, sighed with contentment, and cuddled against Steve’s chest.  Cuddling with Steve was all she’d hoped. More than she’d dreamed. The warmth of the tangled bed covers clung to them both. One of her kittens meowed and stretched.  Then he knit the covers with tiny claws and settled in to rest again, purring against Darcy’s leg.

“Merry Christmas, sleepyhead,” Steve rasped.  “This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.” 

Darcy mused, “same. Even better than when I got the Barbie Dream House.  That’s really saying something, so you know.” She yawned and closed her eyes again.

He laughed, “good to hear.”  Steve squeezed her against him and ran his hand down her back. “I’m glad. Glad as I was to hear that you want to be more than friends. It’s good to hear that you want more. More than good.”

Darcy grinned as she snuggled even closer. “Yup. I do. I want more. All the more.  The only things on my agenda today are to finish decorating the cookies and make merry with you.”

“Merry, huh? Well, the cookies won’t have set enough for decorating until late this afternoon. So, I say we make merry… make pancakes… make merry some more…” Steve’s dimples showed as he shared his plan. 

Darcy peeked to see if he looked as cute as he sounded, and was not disappointed.  She giggled and nodded approval, “I heard rumors that you were good at planning.”  Her breath caught as his lips brushed the shell of her ear and he trailed fingers over a sensitive spot. “Okay. I’m convinced. Merry Chr…!” 

He silenced her with a kiss. And another. And another.

It was a very Merry Christmas.

 

_-the end_

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas to Wintersfangirl! 
> 
> I'm sorry that I'm late posting your story. Christmas fun and getting a new computer as a gift (lovely, but interferes w USE of computer!)... and some 2nd guessing of my writing all conspired to hold me back. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and will have a very Happy New Year! :) Thanks for the sweet prompts. ShieldShock lends itself well to fluff... and cookies. :)


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